Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Random Thoughts UPDATED TUE 2:12 P.M.

In what is becoming something of a tradition, I am happy to offer you a Blog Grab Bag today. We'll try to touch on a little of everything here.

  • UPDATE: The Colleague's vision has changed in the last 2 years. In one eye. There is some debate about the value in getting new lenses. Stay tuned.
  • Please Don't Kill Me. It would be just my luck to finally get my life together and have some student shoot me in the back for wronging him...My first officially psycho student of the year graced the doorway of my office yesterday. This is the sort of greasy misunderstood almost fat kid who is very likely to have a list of people who have wronged him. I think I made that list when I declined his offer to read his 700 page fantasy novel that he wrote in high school. I'm making myself feel better by presuming he doesn't have access to actual weapons. If you find a murdered kitten on campus, it is probably for me.
  • Update: Math Dude Freeze Out. After three actual face to face encounters in the early days of the academic term, still not a word from Math Dude. I must have really done something wrong. Can't wait to find out what it is.
  • Poems are Cool. Yes They Are. Try this one.

    My Life
    Joe Wenderoth

    Somehow it got into my room.
    I found it, and it was, naturally, trapped.
    It was nothing more than a frightened animal.
    Since than I raised it up.
    I kept it for myself, kept it in my room,
    kept it for its own good.
    I named the animal, My Life.
    I found food for it and fed it with my bare hands.
    I let it into my bed, let it breathe in my sleep.
    And the animal, in my love, my constant care,
    grew up to be strong, and capable of many clever tricks.
    One day, quite recently,
    I was running my hand over the animal's side
    and I came to understand
    that it could very easily kill me.
    I realized, further, that it would kill me.
    This is why it exists, why I raised it.
    Since then I have not known what to do.
    I stopped feeding it,
    only to find that its growth
    has nothing to do with food.
    I stopped cleaning it
    and found that it cleans itself.
    I stopped singing it to sleep
    and found that it falls asleep faster without my song.
    I don't know what to do.
    I no longer make My Life do tricks.
    I leave the animal alone
    and, for now, it leaves me alone, too.
    I have nothing to say, nothing to do.
    Between My Life and me,
    a silence is coming.
    Together, we will not get through this.

  • Cankles. How does this happen? Just a question motivated by seeing my children's mother in capris. Speaking of capris.
  • Name That Factory Worker. Spotted on campus on an 80 degree fall day in black wool capris (Where on earth are these even sold? Wool is a winter fabric. Capris are a summer style. If this happened on Project Runway Micheal Kors would come unglued) AND a black sweater?
  • Pull the Trigger! Is it possible that RPD finally decided to purchase one of the 47 bikes he has tested over the last 2 weeks? Say it ain't so! I've got a wager on this one.
  • Get a Spine. Word on the street is that Al B is recovering nicely from having his spine removed.
  • Fall Cleaning. No confirmation of the rumor that Cap'n Ron might be down to fewer than 5 motorcycles in his garage. Of course, Cap'n was last spotted in Spokane purchasing a new 2-wheeler, so who knows what is really happening.
  • Etiquette Question. Is it ok to be a little entertained when your ex gets dumped? Just a little? I know it's ok to be entertained when your partner's ex gets dumped, but this is some gray area I could use some help with.
  • Fuji-me. After a nice 40 mile day on Sunday with AW and Factory Worker C, I'm feelin' the Fuji again. Going fast on skinny tires kicks ass.
  • Raise Your Hand. If you think Tina Fey makes a better Sarah Palin than Sarah Palin does.
  • I'm a Partisan Hack. Of course I would likely be voting for any reasonable candidate the donkeys put forward this time around, but I think I still get to be critical of people who are blindly voting for McCain/Palin because they are the elephant ticket. I mean, seriously? Those two are a disaster. Also, I have to stop reading the "Sound Off" political blogs. It makes me weep.
  • Twenty Six Point Two. I don't particularly want to run the Seattle Marathon. So that's awesome.
Well, that's about all I really have for now. I know, exciting stuff. Shut up.

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